RF c04s03
Text The next morning found Morning Glory and Ardent Desire sitting across from each other at the table in the kitchen. Morning Glory was studying him warily, and Ardent Desire was blushing and embarrassed, horn still wrapped in kelp, but... feeling good. He had done the right thing, he felt: he had been terrified out of his wits about doing it, and he wasn't even entirely sure why it had all blurted out of him, after the bargain he'd struck with Cupidus purely because he had been scared of losing her... except, he thought, maybe that in and of itself was why. He realized that he truly wanted things to be like old times, and he didn't want his influence... hurting her. Corrupting her. Making anything that was experienced between them false, even if... it had also brought such pleasure, and he knew that he had betrayed her trust in a way that might leave it fractured forever. Once Morning Glory had begun to honestly process everything Ardent Desire had told her, and the last of the enchantment he'd held over her had worn off, she had smacked his horn – making him scream and roll around on the floor in agony that he knew all the same he probably well-deserved – and then ordered him to start releasing all the poor mares he had under his power. They had argued about this and gotten nowhere on the subject, so finally they had come down here. Yet all the same, Morning Glory was still here, even if he had claimed it was only because he had gotten them all exiled and there was no way Lord Bonfire was going to believe that 'demons made her fall in love with her brother.' She said she didn't see herself as having any other choice... but Ardent Desire only smiled across at her before he winced when Morning Glory said irritably: "There is no possible way I'm having sex with you." "No, no, no! Shut up!" Ardent Desire almost squeaked, and then he shook his head vehemently before moaning and grabbing at his skull when another bolt of pain tore through through his horn. Then he cursed under his breath and smiled faintly up at her as she looked across at him tiredly. "I... you're just... you're here, that's all." "Yeah. I'm here." Morning Glory reached up and silently touched her necklace, and then she closed her eyes and sighed, murmuring: "Maybe I'm still feeling your... allure, as you called it. Or maybe I'm just stupid and naïve and desperate. Or maybe I'm scared of what you'll do if I turn my back on you. You're disgusting and a coward, you know that?" "It's... it's funny how relieved I am to hear you say things like that. I missed... you." Ardent Desire said quietly, and Morning Glory gave him an ill look even as a faint smile tugged at her lips. Then the stallion cleared his throat and sat up, and he studied her for a few moments before rubbing his hooves against the table and looking down quietly. "I..." "Don't start. I don't want to hear this anymore. I... can't hear this anymore, Ardent, you're... you've gotten in way over your head, and I personally find what you did revolting and contemptible, but..." Morning Glory sighed a little, rubbing slowly at her face. "Every time you talk about it, a little voice says that we were the ones who pushed you there in the first place." "Maybe, but... I don't see why you're so worried, Morning Glory. What... what I asked for was selfish, but the demons gave me power, and wealth, and... they're things I've been using to spread pleasure and happiness to others! I'm not hurting anyone, and they haven't hurt me." Ardent Desire replied almost defensively, and when Morning Glory only looked sourly at him and then flicked her eyes upwards to gesture at his horn, he winced and touched gingerly around his scalp, muttering: "Okay, this doesn't count. Besides... Helena helped me, and I'm... I'm sure Cupidus means well, and spared me everything he could." "Cupidus... Helena... things that you made all of us just accept as fact with your powers. While you had sex with mare after mare." Morning Glory said moodily, and Ardent Desire shrank his head a bit before the pale pink unicorn sighed tiredly. "And made me into... Mom." "Yeah." Ardent Desire barely whispered it, feeling another blast of shame as he shrank a little further into his seat. But strangely, Morning Glory seemed to soften a little, studying her brother with pity more than anger. They were both saved from trying to force more conversation by Helena striding into the kitchen, the Kelpie glancing over at them curiously before smiling a little when Morning Glory glared at her. "I see the enchantment has been lifted from you... I must admit, I'm surprised that Lord Desire... had the courage to do so." "Oh, so you can sense that, demon? And how do I know you didn't encourage him to put me under a spell in the first place?" Morning Glory asked moodily, and when Helena only gave her a faintly-entertained look, the unicorn mare shook her head before reaching up and rubbing at one temple slowly, muttering: "I don't know what was real and what was not anymore... this entire past month is a blur, and all my emotions are in turmoil and... as much as part of me hates my stupid, stupid big brother..." She glared at Ardent, who shrank back a little. "I still... feel..." Morning Glory broke off, then shook her head quickly, closing her eyes and muttering to herself before wincing a little when Helena reached up and touched her shoulder gently. "It's alright. Ardent Desire's powers took such hold on you because you already loved him. Only as a sibling, I am not implying anything... it's just that his abilities took hold of that and... enhanced it." "Enhanced it." Morning Glory repeated flatly, and then she sighed and grumbled, looking grouchily back over at Ardent Desire as he looked silently down at the table, but after a few moments the pink mare softened ever-so-slightly. She didn't speak, but she didn't have to: Helena could clearly see the way that Morning Glory was still wrestling with trying to decide what had been real, what hadn't, and if everything had been a lie... or maybe her true feelings... Helena turned silently away, forcing her smile to mask her face even as she felt her heart twist in her chest. Both ponies glanced towards her, and she said easily, as she headed across the kitchen towards the pantry: "You look as if you need to eat something, Morning Glory. Ardent Desire, I'll fetch you some water first, I know you were feeling a little sick earlier." "You're good to me, Helena." Ardent Desire called to her, and how thankful he was... it made her tremble as she pushed through the pantry door and clenched her eyes shut, repressing her pain as much as possible, but... all the same, how it hurt... The Kelpie breathed nervously in and out, looking slowly back and forth over the shelves before reaching up and carefully grasping a luscious red apple out of an open box on one shelf. She studied it for a few moments, then closed her eyes before taking it in both her front hooves, whispering: "Please forgive me." The apple plumped up slightly as she concentrated her own brand of magic into it. The skin stretched, the fruit became firmer, more luscious, as the Kelpie looked silently down at this... then forced a smile before turning and carrying the apple back into the room. Morning Glory looked grouchy, and Ardent Desire was poking at the bandaging around his horn, but Helena didn't speak even as she put the apple down in front of the pink unicorn. Morning Glory frowned at Helena, and the demon looked back, for a moment thinking about... warning her. Saying something. Doing something... but instead, the Kelpie only reached up and touched the mare reassuringly, saying quietly: "It should be enough. I'll... get your water, Ardent Desire." The Kelpie turned away, putting her back to them, and Morning Glory frowned after the demon moodily before she picked up the apple. She studied it, then shrugged a little before raising the fruit to her mouth and biting into it. Teeth severed skin, tore into the flesh of the apple, and sweet juices trickled down her chin and flooded her jaws. Her eyes closed in surprise as she stiffened slightly at how good it was... like it had been years since she had eaten, and then she had come across this delicious treasure... She ate ravenously, and Ardent Desire stared at how quickly Morning Glory devoured the fruit, until only the thin core was left. And even this, Morning Glory licked slowly, dragging her tongue along it, not seeming to care as she scraped up a few loose seeds, her breathing a little hard as her eyes flicked up and stared at him and Ardent Desire stared back... Then Morning Glory cleared her throat and hurriedly tossed the core away, a shiver going through her body as she rubbed a hoof wildly at her reddened features. Drool had mixed with the apple juice spilling down her chin and lips, and a shiver rolled through her body as gave an uncertain smile before turning her eyes quickly to the Kelpie, who was just approaching with a clay cup of water. "A-Another, perhaps? I... I still feel... hungry." Helena looked across at her, and Morning Glory thought she saw hollow eyes and sadness for a moment, the unicorn frowning even through the strange... fuzzy... pleasantness that had overtaken her, mixed with hunger and... and heat... sweet, delicious heat... Then Morning Glory shook herself quickly, trying to throw off the feelings in her body as her form shivered once and she felt her lower legs scrape together and... that warmth... and when she looked up, the Kelpie was smiling at her kindly, Helena nodding as she murmured: "Of course, Morning Glory." The demon slipped Ardent Desire his glass of water as the stallion only continued to sit back, looking confused more than anything else, while Morning Glory's eyes were slowly drawn to her brother as she licked her lips and rubbed slowly at her flushed features... and as Helena strode away towards the pantry again, she closed her eyes, swallowed her pain, and prayed for forgiveness for the role she knew she had no choice but to play. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story